Vegan Salmon Recipe (Carrot Lox)

Carrot lox is thin strips of carrot, cooked until just tender, then left overnight in a marinade of nori, caper brine, miso, soy and rice vinegar. The briny, sea-like flavour comes entirely from that marinade, not from the carrot. After a night in the fridge the texture turns silky and pliable, close to lox on a bagel, though it is not a copy of it.

There’s a particular food that makes Monday mornings so much easier for me, and that’s bagels. They’re so easy to grab and eat, and have a particular aesthetic to them; why are they the perfect work food?

If you miss carrot lox and cream cheese bagels on your way to work, this is the fix. Paired with an easy cashew cream cheese, it gets you most of the way there.

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Why carrots?

There are a few ways to approach vegan salmon. Some people swear by tomatoes, but carrots give a more consistent result: they hold their shape when sliced thin, they take on a marinade well, and the colour is already in the right family.

The method is straightforward. Follow the steps and don’t skip the resting time, which is where most of the work actually happens.

Does carrot lox taste like salmon?

It tastes of the sea, which is not quite the same thing. The nori, caper brine, miso and soy in the marinade do all the heavy lifting, giving you salt, umami and a clean briny edge. Carrot on its own tastes like carrot, so the overnight soak is not optional if you want any of that flavour to carry through.

There is no liquid smoke in this version, so it reads briny rather than smoked. If you want that smokehouse note, a few drops of liquid smoke in the marinade will get you there.

Texture is the other half of it. Properly cooked and properly marinated, the strips turn soft, slightly slippery and pliable, which is a fair approximation of lox. Undercook them and they snap; overcook them and they go mushy and fall apart on the knife.

Why you might want to make it

It’s cheap, it’s simple and it uses ingredients you can find in any supermarket. It does take time to rest and get the texture right, but the active work is about ten minutes.

Carrot lox is also versatile. Use it on bagels, in wraps, or in vegan sushi. It all depends on how you slice the carrots after cooking, in thin flat strips like lox, or thicker sashimi-style pieces.

Everything in the marinade is substitutable. If there’s an ingredient you don’t like, leave it out. Check the tips below for variations, including how to make pink carrot lox.

Shopping List:

Carrots
Sea Salt
Hot Water
Nori Granules (or buy nori sheets and blend them to a powder)
Caper Brine
Rice Vinegar
White Miso Paste
Soy Sauce, Tamari, or Coconut Aminos
Lemon Juice
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil

Equipment Required:

Large sharp knife
Saucepot
Glass container or large bowl

The Recipe:

Yield: 8-10 servings

Active Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes plus a few hours marinating, overnight is best

Difficulty: Easy

Pin the image below if you like this vegan salmon recipe.

Ingredients List:

3 large carrots, cut in half, not peeled
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup (180 ml) hot water
1 tsp nori granules or blended nori sheets
3 tbsp caper brine
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

Directions:

In a medium-sized pot, place your carrot with your salt and cover the carrots with tap water. Place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil for 5-10 mins or until fork tender. Be careful not to overcook to avoid mushy carrots. A fork or knife should just poke through and the carrots should hold their shape.
Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. As soon as the carrots are ready, drain them from the hot water and place them in the ice-cold water to stop the cooking immediately. Allow to cool fully for 2-3 minutes and then gently place on a wire rack to drip and dry.
While they dry, combine the following ingredients in a separate container or bowl: hot water, nori, caper brine, rice vinegar, miso paste, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder and olive oil. Whisk until well incorporated and set aside.
Using a very sharp knife, place your carrots on a chopping board and slice lengthwise or diagonally (getting as long strips as you can): you can decide whether you want paper-thin slices or thicker sashimi-style slices. Place into the marinade.
Cover and place in the fridge for at least a few hours to absorb the flavour, but overnight is best. The longer you marinate, the better the consistency of the vegan carrot lox will be.
When you’re ready to use, remove the carrot lox from the container. It’s best for the carrots to come to room temperature first, though it isn’t essential.
Serve on toasted bagels with vegan cashew cream cheese, fresh dill and pickled red onions.

Tips and Tricks for Vegan Salmon:

Here are my favourite tips and tricks to make this recipe the best it can be:

Give the carrots real time in the marinade: it’s tempting to eat them early, but the overnight rest is what changes the texture from firm and crunchy to soft and slightly bouncy. A few hours will give you flavour, but not that texture.
Try roasting or steaming instead of boiling: boiling is quick, but it also waterlogs the carrots a little. Steaming them until just tender, or roasting them whole in foil at 200°C, concentrates the flavour and gives a firmer, less watery strip.
Add your own twist: feel free to change up the marinade to your liking. This recipe is a starting point. Want a more aromatic flavour? Try a whole star anise, some black peppercorns, or a small stick of cinnamon.
Make it pink: after cooking, add a slice of raw, peeled beetroot to your marinade and leave it overnight. Give the container a stir or a shake from time to time so the colour distributes evenly. TOP TIP: If you want an ombre, pink to orange effect, marinate the carrots whole with a piece of beetroot, then slice them afterwards. If you do it this way, make sure they marinate overnight to get the best texture.

FAQs

How long does carrot lox keep?

Kept in its marinade in a sealed container in the fridge, carrot lox holds for about a week, and the flavour keeps developing over the first two or three days. It does not freeze well, since the strips go soft and lose their structure on thawing. Keep the marinade with it rather than draining it off.

Can I use store-bought vegan salmon?

Yes. Several brands make one, including Sophie’s Kitchen Plant-Based smoked salmon and Zalmon Sashimi from Vegan Zeaster. Formulations differ between countries and change over time, so read the label if you’re avoiding soy, gluten or particular oils. Homemade is cheaper and lets you control the salt, but the shop-bought versions are handy when you’re short on time.

What do you serve carrot lox with?

These homemade vegan bagels are the obvious match, with a layer of vegan cottage cheese or cashew cream cheese underneath. Fresh dill, capers, thin red onion and a squeeze of lemon round it out. It also works rolled into sushi, laid over avocado toast, or stirred through a cold noodle salad.

Can I make it without nori?

You can, but you’ll lose most of the sea flavour, which is the point of the recipe. Nori is what makes carrot taste like anything other than carrot. If you can’t get it, dulse flakes or a small amount of kelp powder do a similar job. Extra caper brine adds saltiness but not the same mineral, oceanic note.

Did you like my Vegan Salmon Recipe?

I hope you enjoy this vegan carrot lox. Let me know in the comments if it works for you.

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